


First Impressions

by jacquelee



Series: Writer's Month 2020 [1]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Gen, rated teen for weed smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:14:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25673398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacquelee/pseuds/jacquelee
Summary: Zari just wants a smooth week minding her parents' flower shop with Behrad, but when the owner of the new Tattoo parlor next door comes in unexpectedly, things go a little differently than planned.
Series: Writer's Month 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1861585
Kudos: 4
Collections: Writer's Month 2020





	First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Writer's Month 2020](https://writersmonth.tumblr.com), for the Day 1 prompt Flower Shop and Tattoo Parlor AU.

Zari didn't mind working in her parents' flower shop for a week while they took a well deserved holiday. She didn't even mind doing most of the work since her brother's idea of helping out was sitting in the back yard with his bong or a blunt and getting high. Which left a lot of fumes that also wafted into the shop itself, but even that was not something she was particularly bothered by – and actually it was pretty relaxing. 

What she did mind was that he had left a bag of his weed on the counter. And since she had only just noticed it, she had no idea how many customers had seen it. She sighed. Well, hopefully they would think it was some sort of herb or other plant the flower shop carried. 

Still, she took it and stored it a little bit safer in one of the drawers under the counter. Then she looked at the clock and realized it was nearly lunchtime. As if on cue the door opened and Mona came in with a huge smile on her face, as always turning the 'Open' sign on the door around for their lunch hour.

"Hey, Z, how are you? All good?"

Zari smiled back.

"Hi, Mona, yes, all is fine," she got interrupted by Behrad coming from the back and greeting Mona with a big grin. Knowing that no customers would interrupt them, she couldn't stop herself from adding, without any bite, just in a little teasing tone, "it would be even better if a certain someone wouldn't constantly forget their goods on the sales counter, where everyone can see them." 

Mona laughed and Behrad looked not at all ashamed, just relieved.

"Oh, that's where that stash was, I was looking for it."

Zari rolled her eyes but she smiled affectionately. It was impossible to stay mad at her baby brother. She took the bag out of the drawer and threw it at him. He expertly caught it and held it up like a prize, grinning from ear to ear. 

"There you go. Just try to keep it in the back, will you?"

"Will do sis."

They both turned to Mona, who seemed to be even more excited than usual when she unpacked their lunch and handed it to them.

"Have you heard? The owner of the new Tattoo parlor next door finally came in today! They're so pretty and all goth or punk or something like that, they look awesome! They're called Charlie and they said they're in a band too! A punk band that is called The Smell! Isn't that amazing?"

Zari knew Mona well enough to not be surprised that she seemed to already know this person's entire life story. She just loved talking to people and she was always so open and bubbly and happy that it was easy to open up to her for just about everyone. But her face still fell a little.

"Charlie huh? They're in a punk band? So we're gonna have to deal not only with the people you'd expect to get tattoos but also with band groupies and the like? That's just great!"

"Hey, sis, chill, I'm sure they're all great. Nothing to worry about."

Rolling her eyes again, Zari didn't feel like getting deeper into the argument they've been having ever since it was announced that there would be a Tattoo parlor opening next door. Their parents had been afraid it would bring rowdy clientele and scare away their customers and Zari shared that sentiment, at least to a degree, while Behrad's position was as always that they were probably awesome people. 

Which in Zari's opinion was naivety but she also in a way admired both her brother and Mona's outlook on life, seeing everyone as a potential friend and only expecting the best. Life had taught her otherwise, but she had always tried to shield her brother from the bad things other people threw at them and she was glad to have been more or less successful. 

Turning her back on both Mona and Behrad to get some money out of a cupboard behind the counter to pay Mona, Zari decided to say just some of what she thought, not everything because she didn't want to fight, but just something to underline her opinion. 

"Look, I'm sure they're all awesome people, but seriously, a punk band? Punks and the like are going to swarm their shop, people who are loud and who are going to disturb us and scare away our customers," She heard some noises from both Mona and Behrad but she assumed it was just them disagreeing with her, so she didn't turn around, just counted out the money into her hand. "I'm sure this Charlie is a great fella, but I'm not gonna immediately fall all over myself for them just because they can maybe sing, which is debatable since most of what I heard from punk music really can't be called music, it's more like noise. Bad, too loud, terrible noise."

This time, the disagreement sounded much more urgent, with an undertone of something Zari couldn't quite make out but she was nearly finished, so she still didn't pay attention to it. Except then she heard a voice that was definitely not Behrad or Mona's and turned around abruptly. 

"I'm a punk, yes, and loud too, but I'm definitely not expecting you to fall over for my or to like my music. Let me guess, you're a classical music girl? All Beethoven and Mozart and that ilk?"

Zari was far too mortified to deign that with a response as she looked into the face of a person who was suddenly standing in the middle of the store and grinning at her as if she had just told the best joke ever instead of insulting them and their entire clientele - based on the assumption that this was indeed the fabled Charlie, which was pretty clear from both Mona and Behrad's expression and Mona's mumbled explanation that she invited them to come over for their lunch break. 

They were dressed in exactly the way Zari had expected them to be, ripped pantyhose, a very short leather skirt, a basically see through shirt and leather jacket. They also had several piercings and wore a choker with impressive studs on it. All in all, their entire appearance screamed punk.

"Actually, she likes heavy metal."

Of course, Behrad needed to expose her to their punk neighbour, who now raised their eyebrows at her, seemingly intrigued. 

"Really? That's not so bad, mate." 

Having recovered a little bit, Zari scoffed at that. 

"Thanks, your opinion means so much to me."

She made certain to put as much sarcasm into that sentence as possible but their new neighbor just laughed. This was going to be fun. Not. 

And now they were looking at Behrad, or rather at what was in his hand, with an expression that was very much not to Zari's liking. 

"Wait, were you about to light one up? Can I join?"

Never one to say no to a smoking buddy, Behrad's face lit up and he held out the weed.

"Sure! There's enough for all of us," he hesitated a little, looking at Mona. "Except Mona, cause she doesn't smoke."

Mona shook her head, an uncharacteristically solemn expression on her face. 

"I tried once, it made me all weepy and I hallucinated weird shit. I think it doesn't work right for me." 

Behrad squeezed her shoulder as if this was a very serious loss she had to deal with but then addressed Charlie again.

"Let's take it to the backyard, shall we? I've got a nice set up there."

Charlie was about to follow him but stopped and turned to Zari again.

"What about you, princess? Gotta light one up with us or are you too stuffy for that?"

"Oh, now, wait-"

To his credit, Behrad tried to come to her defense, but she didn't need it. Before he could even say anything more, she had crossed the distance between them, taken the bag out of his hand and basically run into the backyard where she waited a few seconds until they all followed her outside, where she pointedly looked at Miss Punk the entire time while she rolled a perfect blunt, lit it with the lighter Behrad dutifully held out for her, and took a deep drag.

"You were saying?" 

She valiantly held back the urge to cough while she held out the blunt to Charlie, who was looking at her with a newfound respect that made the effects she could already feel from the unusually deep drag all worth it. 

"Nothing mate, I didn't say anything at all." 

Grinning, they also took a drag of the joint and maybe it was already the effects of the weed, but Zari couldn't help but think that maybe having a Tattoo parlor next door wasn't that bad after all. Maybe.


End file.
